


Comfort

by Mosspool13



Series: BeauJester Week 2019 [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Beaujester Week, Drabble, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-19 15:16:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19976206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mosspool13/pseuds/Mosspool13
Summary: Beau clutches Jester by the back of her neck, holding her close in the darkness. Her chest aches for Jester, for her obvious sorrow. Jester is sunshine and smiles and creativity, but she's also the small, sad version of her that Beau clutches tight. Even if Beau doesn't want her to be.





	Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> BeauJester Week: Day 2: Roommates, Parallels

Caduceus takes charge. He nudges the group into the upstairs sleeping quarters of The Ruddy Poon, making sure they don't stray too far from one another, that they each have a cot beside the others. Beau waits until Jester chooses a spot and then takes the bed next to hers. She can see Nott settling down with Caleb, not even bothering to find a bed of her own, and Fjord take a spot on the edge of the group, his movements stiff from pain, blood still coating his armor and staining the underside of his chin. 

"Beau?" Jester whispers in the dark, reaching out for her, and Beau takes her hand and lays down beside her. 

"You okay?" She asks and Jester nods. Her face is solemn and drawn out, washed of her usual cheer and delight. It's like how she looked after the dragon in the Happy Fun Ball... only worse. 

"I'm just tired." She says. 

"Sleep." Beau insists. "We'll talk in the morning." Jester nods and closes her eyes. Beau watches her settle down, keeping her hand clasped in hers, and doesn't let herself sleep until she sees the faint rise and fall of Jester's breath.

When Beau comes to consciousness, she finds that Jester has made her way into her bed. Jester's fingers are clutching her sleep shirt, fingers tight as she breathes through her deep slumber. As Beau looks at her, she can see the tear tracks on Jester's cheeks, the stain of her sorrow in the blue tint of her skin. Her eyes are red rimmed and swollen and Beau reaches out, presses her thumb delicately to the soft underside of Jester's eye and pauses as Jester sniffles in her sleep and scoots closer, nudging her nose and her hair into Beau's neck. She must have been crying in her sleep. 

Beau clutches Jester by the back of her neck, holding her close in the darkness. Her chest aches for Jester, for her obvious sorrow. Jester is sunshine and smiles and creativity, but she's also the small, sad version of her that Beau clutches tight. Even if Beau doesn't want her to be. It's been a hard day. 

Caleb gets them back to Rosohna within moments. The tiredness is pervasive, the Nein are exhausted with their efforts in Bazzoxan, the stress of their audience with the Bright Queen, and the meeting with the scourger in the dungeons. The Xhorhas is a welcome relief, and the Nein scatter to their respective pursuits, Caleb off on his own, Caduceus to tend to his tree, Nott to her husband, Fjord disappears to his room and Jester, well, she goes to Yasha's room. 

Beau follows her, slowly, at a distance, until she opens the door and finds her curled up on the floor beside the mural of wildflower she had painted, one finger tracing the edge of a painted flower petal. 

"Jester?" Beau calls and Jester looks up. Her eyes are filling with tears but they haven't yet fallen. 

"Beau." Her voice is a little watery and Beau goes to her without thinking, crouching and takes her in her arms like before and holds her close while Jester cries it out against Beau's shoulder. 

The grief she'd felt wracks through Jester's small body and Beau is so completely devastated by the pain in each of Jester's hitching breaths. 

She tells Jester about how she'd been listening out for thunder, hoping that Yasha's god might give them a sign that he was watching out for her, that he might bring her home to them. Gods and religion and all that isn't Beau's general point of interest. It's fucking confusing, and Beau doesn't think that the Ioun guy from the Cobalt Soul would care to hear from her, but maybe the Stormlord might? He's already taken an interest in Yasha, after all, maybe he could bring her back. 

Beau brings Jester back to their shared room to rest for a little bit, sits on top of the covers with Jester curled into her arms and they nap for just a little bit. 

Caduceus raps on the door, calls them upstairs to see something he made in the tree, and Beau nudges Jester awake. 

Beau pulls on Jester's wrist before they separate to go to their respective stations, to wait for Dairon. "Hey, Jessie." 

"What's up, Beau?" Her eyes are still red-rimmed and swollen but her determination is shining through. Waiting for Dairon to show up has given her something to work towards.

"I know you're not... okay." She says, and stumbles over her next words. "But... I'm here, if you need to talk. Or a cuddle."

Jester smiles, it's soft and not nearly as bright as her usual ones, but its there and its real. "Thanks, Beau. I love you." 

"Love you too, Jessie." Beau says, patting her arm.

As she turns to head downstairs, Jester jumps her from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her tight, a quick hug. Jester leans up on her tiptoes and says into Beau's ear. "I'm here for you too, okay?" 

Beau closes her eyes. It's like the Ball-Eater all over again, Jester's hand around her from behind.

"Yeah." She says, and Jester lets go.

When she sits down in front of the door to wait for Dairon to show, Beau glances up to the balcony and can just see the edge of Jester's tail twitching. She smiles and snorts and rubbing her arms together in the chill. 


End file.
